Of all the surprise nations that marched in the opening ceremony
, the Jai Alai of Biarritz
was able to see Ireland pass. A single athlete Caitriona Caseycommitted like many these new nations, in frontball
. “There should have been two of us, I had to be accompanied by a male representative, confides the player from the province of Cork, in the south of the island. But he was injured the week before the world, and could not move.” Caitriona will not see the semi-finals, beaten in particular by Mexico in the group stage, during which it nevertheless did more than make up the numbers, beating the United States and Costa Rica thanks in particular to… Gaelic sports.
Like most athletes, Caitriona discovered frontball
on the spot. “Normally in Ireland I play a variant, “handball“either facing a wall alone or facing four walls, with a harder ball, that’s why I play with gloves, it’s also because I’m used to wearing them.“But that’s the only commonality, because Caitriona is inspired by Gaelic sports like hurling, yet a lacrosse sport that is played outdoors.”In fact, the Gaelic Athletic Association (Gaelic Athletic Association
) encompasses several sports, including Gaelic football, handball and hurling. And in hurling, there is a lot of correspondence with other sports, it’s quite transversal. They also play with a small ball, so it works on coordination and agility. Those who play hurling are good at handball and vice versa.“
For her part, Caitriona was rather jack of all trades, playing Gaelic football and hurling before focusing on handball. At 29, she even started handball at the age of 8. “Hurling or Gaelic football also helps to be in shape. It allows you to work on the races, the accelerations, the management of the effort, it is also a lot of intervals, so you arrive with good endurance. It allows us to be more lucid so as not to suffer the game. Playing handball is not enough, because in frontball the rallies are longer.“
Caitriona therefore finished in second place in her pool, a more than respectable score for a first participation. She planned to rest a few days in France, just to blow her shoulder. Before returning to Ireland, prepare for new frontball tournaments… by playing hurling.